Happy Easter. A Spring Tradition. And the Sky Cleared...

Ginger and Sage.

Happy Easter folks.  Weather you are a Believer, or not, Easter will always be a part of the spring tradition.  This year, it came in with some decent rain overnight.  Water was flowing in the streets at 7 this morning.  A bit of a shock, but I guess the ground has still not dried enough to absorb even the light rain that fell steadily overnight.  Drizzle began around night fall yesterday, got slightly heavier overnight, and continued past day break today.  We are looking at one more wave to pass through sometime on Monday, and then we are done with this stuff.  Or, at least, it seems like we are done with this stuff.

Tomorrow, Monday, we see a continued chance or rain and mountain snow.  Then, the weather looks pretty clear for the rest of the week, with a few clouds here and there.  For the time being, it looks like the marine layer will hold off, so that we can enjoy some good old fashion spring sun.  Wednesday looks to be the warmest with mid 70s to mid 80s across the region.  The rest of the week will be solidly in the 70s, except for SF and Marin Points, where it will be in the mid to high 60s.  Sorry folks, but life is just a wee bit better here in Santa Cruz.

The south swell is showing pretty nice today, but west winds are currently beating those waves to shreds.  Still, there are a few bits and pieces out there today, inside of the kelp beds.  Yesterday morning was a blessing, as NE winds were reported all along the central coast.  The super low tide in the morning kept things a bit drained out, but plenty of surfers were on the search.  Over the next few days, the south swell will fade.  A northerly windswell should fill in through the latter part of the week.  Monday morning looks promising with slack to SE winds.  The usual spring NW winds look to pick up through the week, peaking on Tuesday afternoon.  This is related to the last storm in the series clearing out and high pressure moving in.  Still, we should see some light winds in the early morning hours, and south facing points will stay pretty protected.

Spring is welcome in the garden.

As the sun starts shining, and things begin to dry out, expect the bike trails to get real good.  It is a nice time of year to be in the hills, as the grass is still green and the trails are tacky.  If you are lucky, people will allow the clay to dry before riding, leaving nice smooth single track.  Otherwise, beware of nasty ruts that can throw you.  Up in the Sierra, the snow will begin going through a nice melt-freeze cycle this week.  The corn should be ripe by mid-week, but start thinking about getting an early start on tours.  The warm weather and late April sun will do their best to mankify snow by afternoon.  Still, next week does not look to get too hot, so, with even a little breeze, the corn window could be open for hours.  As for resort skiing, the recent snows and wind have helped smooth out the bumps.  Look forward to a great spring weekend of skiing ahead.  While some hills have closed shop for the season, a few are still going strong.  Kirkwood will be open through May 1st (and re-opnning for Memorial Day weekend).  In the north lake area, Alpine Meadows and Squaw are still in operation well into May.  And Mammoth will be open through the 4th (of July!).


So, the weather is about to get boring.  Fairly sunny today.  Clouds, drizzle, and perhaps some rain on Monday.  Sunny, clear and warm starting Tuesday.  Might stay that way until October.